The Signal

The Signal | A Conversation with André Gagné About His Book “American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times”

André Gagné is Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University in Montreal. His teaching and scholarship focus on political theology, religion and violence, and the interpretation and reception of the Bible. Dr. Gagné's work and interviews have been featured over 300 times in media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Guardian, and many more.
Today we talk about his book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement, by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays The Gospel And Threatens The Church, by Andrew L. Whitehead 
QAnon, Chaos, and the Cross: Christianity and Conspiracy Theories, by Michael W Austin and Gregory L Bock
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 5 – The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, With Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 12 – The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
EPISODE 18 - The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart

The Signal | The Christian Right’s Crusade for Power and War on Democracy, with Katherine Stewart

Katherine Stewart is an investigative reporter and author who has covered the Christian right, politics, policy, and education for over a decade.
Her latest book, THE POWER WORSHIPPERS: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of a movement that has turned religion into a tool for political power and domination. Stewart’s journalism appears in the New York Times op ed, NBC, the New Republic, and the New York Review of Books.
Katherine has been researching and reporting on the Christian right since 2009. She joins The Signal to talk about this movement, its strategies and tactics, and the very real threat it poses to democracy.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Christian Right
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children, by Katherine Stewart
The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy, by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry
American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, by Andrew L. Whitehead
Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, by Frederick Clarkson
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 5 – The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, With Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 12 – The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
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The Civic Circle | School Board Elections and Interview with Bucks United’s Kunal Atit

The Civic Circle is a new youth-led podcast by the Bucks County Beacon tackling politics and policy from a Gen-Z lens. Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey are students from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Once a month they will chat about activism, advocacy, and all the political happenings affecting their generation today. They focus on PA politics and want the podcast to serve as a call to action for all young people to get involved in the civic process and demand change.
We focus this episode primarily on local school board wars and our experiences growing up in Central Bucks and Council Rock School Districts. We also discuss the incredible candidates running to replace extremist candidates on these boards. In the second half of the show, we welcome Kunal Atit, Bucks United's campaign manager, who shares his story and why these school board races matter so much.
Sarah Zhang is a CB East grad and sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mallorie Marsin is a Council Rock South grad and freshman at Temple University.
Alexandra Coffey is a senior at CB West. 
The Civic Circle is produced by the Bucks County Beacon and Raging Chicken Media’s Kevin Mahoney.
The music is “Bet On It” by Silent Partner, copyright and royalty-free. 
Follow us on Twitter:
@BucksCoBeacon
@RCpress

The Signal | After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It, with Julie Suk

Julie C. Suk is Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law and is a leading expert on gender and constitutional law in the United States and around the world. In 2020 she published, We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment, which was the first book to chronicle and assess the twenty-first-century revival of the Equal Rights Amendment. Today, we talk about her new book: After Misogyny: How the Law Fails Women and What to Do about It.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue 
We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment, by Julie Suk
Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, by Dahlia Lithwick
Feminist International: How to Change Everything, by Verónica Gago, translated by Liz Mason-Deese
Textures of Terror: The Murder of Claudina Isabel Velasquez and Her Father's Quest for Justice, by Victoria Sanford
Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto, by Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya, and Nancy Fraser
ALSO LISTEN TO:
EPISODE 9 – Feminicide, Impunity, And The U.S.’S Bloody History In Guatemala, With Victoria Sanford
EPISODE 4 - Sylvia Pankhurst – Suffragette Socialist and Scourge of Empire, with Dr. Kate Connelly
EPISODE 3 -  The Radical History of International Women’s Day and the Feminist Movement, with Liza Featherstone

American Carnage: An Officer’s Duty to Warn, with Steve Nolan

Steve Nolan spent 30 years in the military and 25 years as a mental health professional. He has published in numerous journals and his poetry was featured on National Public Radio, Morning Edition, upon his return from Afghanistan in 2007. He is the author of the books Go Deep,  Base Camp, and American Carnage, An Officer’s Duty to Warn. His work reflects his commitment to social justice.
I talk to Steve about his book American Carnage and why he feels compelled as a retired military officer and mental health professional to speak out about the threat former President Donald Trump poses to U.S. democracy and why Trump is mentally unfit for office as Commander in Chief.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President - Updated and Expanded with New Essays, by Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div., Organizer of Yale's "Duty to Warn" Conference
The Cult of Trump A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan 
Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President, by Justin A. Frank, MD
Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy, by Jamie Raskin
The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, by Jeff Sharlet
ALSO LISTEN TO: 
EPISODE 5 - The Growing Fascist Threat To American Democracy, with Jeff Sharlet
EPISODE 12 - The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming for Pennsylvania, the Nation, and the World
EPISODE 13 - Peace Activism from Bucks County to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with Barbara Simmons
 

The Civic Circle | The Climate Crisis is Real, Local, and Demands Action

The Civic Circle is a new youth-led podcast by the Bucks County Beacon tackling politics and policy from a Gen-Z lens. Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey are students from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and once a month they will chat about activism, advocacy, and all the political happenings affecting their generation today. They will be focusing on PA politics and want the podcast to serve as a call to action for all young people to get involved in the civic process and demand change.
In this first episode we introduce ourselves, explain what brought us into this work, and discuss some of the hot issues of this past summer - with the hottest issue definitely being extreme weather, the sweltering heat, and how the climate crisis has directly affected us in Bucks County. 
Sarah Zhang is a CB East grad and sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mallorie Marsin is a Council Rock South grad and freshman at Temple University.
Alexandra Coffey is a senior at CB West. 
Also listen to Bucks County Beacon Editor Cyril Mychalejko’s interview with Sarah, Mallorie, and Alexandra on The Signal. 
The Civic Circle is produced by the Bucks County Beacon and Raging Chicken Media’s Kevin Mahoney.
The music is “Bet On It” by Silent Partner, copyright and royalty-free. 
Follow us on Twitter:
@BucksCoBeacon
@RCpress

The Signal | Introducing Our New Gen Z Podcast The Civic Circle, with Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey

The Civic Circle is a new youth-led podcast by the Bucks County Beacon tackling politics and policy from a Gen-Z lens. Sarah Zhang, Mallorie Marsan, and Alexandra Coffey are students from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and once a month they will chat about activism, advocacy, and all the political happenings affecting their generation today. They will be focusing on PA politics and want the podcast to serve as a call to action for all young people to get involved in the civic process and demand change.
Today I speak to them about who they are, their politics, their generation, and The Civic Circle - which launches on Monday.
Sarah Zhang is a CB East grad and sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mallorie Marsin is a Council Rock South grad and freshman at Temple University.
Alexandra Coffey is a senior at CB West. 
The Signal is produced by Kevin Mahoney, Raging Chicken Media.
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
Follow us on Twitter:
@BucksCoBeacon
@cmychalejko 
@RCpress
 

The Signal | Fighting for Students’ and Teachers’ Rights in Central Bucks School District, with ACLU’s Witold Walczak

Central Bucks is under fire for allegedly creating a toxic environment for LGBTQ+ students, vindictively targeting a teacher, and spending more than $1 million for reputation laundering. 
Witold Walczak is legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Today I speak with him about the ACLU’s ongoing legal battles with Central Bucks School District, its latest complaint filed in court which charges the Republican-run district with illegally retaliating against a teacher for supporting a trans student, and Central Bucks’s million dollar disinformation campaign to avoid responsibility for creating a toxic, discriminatory environment for LGBTQ+ students – a charge currently being investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.  
Full transcript of the episode available HERE.
Host Cyril Mychalejko’s 5 Book Recommendations to Further Shine a Light on the Issue
The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children, by Katherine Stewart
A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School, by Jennifer Berkshire
Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization, by Maurice Cunningham
Whose America?: Culture Wars in the Public Schools, by Jonathan Zimmerman
 The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, by Jeff Sharlet
ORGANIZATIONS
Advocates for Inclusive Education (Bucks County)
Central Bucks Neighbors United
The Network for Public Education
PFLAG
ALSO LISTEN TO: 
EPISODE 2 – The Merchants of Deception: The Dark Money and Front Groups Behind School Privatization, with Maurice Cunningham
EPISODE 6 – The Right’s Long War On Public Education, With Jennifer Berkshire
EPISODE 7 – Understanding Backlash Politics And Religious Conservatives Inciting School Board Wars, With PRRI’s Melissa Deckman
EPISODE 10 – Raising A Transgender Child In An Increasingly Transphobic Country, With Brett Freeman
EPISODE 11 – Unmasking Moms For Liberty’s Extremism, With Olivia Little And Diana Leygerman